It's time to ease up on mandatory sentences

There are many factors responsible for a nationwide trend in lower crime rates in recent years, including the tough mandatory prison sentences adopted by most states in the 1990s. As a result, more convicted felons wound up in prisons, and the construction of new prisons became a boom industry.

In Missouri, the prison population swelled 94 percent to nearly 30,000 inmates between 1993 and 2002, and the Department of Corrections' budget rose to $565.8 million from $197.1 million.

Faced with the increasing demands for prison space and revenue shortages, state legislators are looking at other options, including easing up on some mandatory sentences, expanding judicial discretion and encouraging alternative sentencing.

If adopted, this plan would save an estimated $20 million the first year and free up the equivalent of one whole prison.

It's time for some careful adjustments like these to ease the critical prison situation while maintaining appropriate punishment for criminals. Legislators are on the right track.